Sprinter Imranur ‘sorry to disappoint’ after narrowly missing 60m final in Tianjin

Bangladesh’s fastest man, Imranur Rahman, on Friday issued an apology after failing to reach the final of the 60m race at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China. 

Imranur, the 2023 gold medallist in the same event, was competing internationally for the first time in one-and-a-half years.

The 32-year-old sprinter advanced to the semifinals, clocking 6.73 seconds in his heat, but narrowly missed out on the final, recording 6.75 seconds in the semifinals. Chinese sprinter Jinxian He secured the eighth and final spot with a timing of 6.74 seconds.

Deng Xinrui of China won the gold with 6.59 seconds, followed by Chen Wen Pu of Chinese Taipei with 6.60 seconds for silver, while Abdullah Mohammed Dawood of Saudi Arabia claimed bronze in 6.62 seconds.

Imranur had previously won gold at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Kazakhstan, setting a personal best of 6.59 seconds. He finished seventh in the 2024 edition of the championships.

“Unfortunately I didn’t make it through to the final. Apologies for this -- after almost two years without competing internationally, I’m sorry to disappoint those who were hopeful,” Imranur said in an emotional message sent through the Bangladesh Athletics Federation.

“However, I feel positive. I can move forward without injury from this occasion and build towards future events. Thanks for all your support,” added Imranur, who last competed internationally in the 100m sprint at the Paris Olympic Games in August 2023.